Sessorium
The Sessorium was a palace complex that was started under Emperor Septimius Severus and probably completed under Emperor Elagabal . The complex was located in the extreme southeast of the old town of Rome in the 5th Esquiliae region (today XV. Rione Esquilino ) and comprised a palatial villa complex, which included the " Thermen der Helena", the amphitheater Castrense and the Circus Varianus .
With the construction of the Aurelian Wall , part of the complex was destroyed or was now outside the city walls. The amphitheater was included in the city fortifications and the outer arcades bricked up. The city wall now ran through the circus parallel to the front and through the spectator tiers, so that only about 20% of the circus was within the city.
Later, at the beginning of the 4th century, part of the complex was used as a residence by Helena , the mother of Emperor Constantine . Since that time the facility has been called the Palatium Sessorium. During her lifetime, part of the palace was converted into the Church of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme .
The bathing complex called “Thermen der Helena”, which was located northwest of the other buildings and was supplied with water by Aqua Claudia , also dates back to the Severan period according to ID from brick stamps and a consecration to Iulia Domna and may have belonged to the Sessorium. It got its modern name from a building inscription that mentions restoration work by Helena after a fire.
literature
- Filippo Coarelli : Rome. An archaeological guide . Zabern, Mainz 2000, ISBN 3-8053-2685-8 , pp. 211-214.
- Samuel Ball Platner , Thomas Ashby : A Topographical Dictionary of Ancient Rome. Oxford University Press, London 1929.
Remarks
Coordinates: 41 ° 53 ′ 17 ″ N , 12 ° 31 ′ 0 ″ E